An international collective of thirty-two malt whisky enthusiasts, the Malt Maniacs have been enjoying and discussing the pleasures of single malt whisky with whisky lovers worldwide since 1997.

Their awards, sometimes called “The Formula One Grand Prix of Whisky”, have taken place every year since 2003 and, they claim, have become “one of the most important, influential and independent whisky competitions in the annual whisky calendar”.

Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “Winning these Malt Maniacs awards rounds off a great year for the company and they’re especially important to us because they’re given by passionate and independent-minded whisky enthusiasts who really know their malts. The awards also reflect the skill our people bring to the art of whisky creation and are testament to the huge amount of time and energy we dedicate to our wood management programme.

“I’m especially pleased that a 1972 GlenDronach bottling has won the top award for the third year running. Last year, 713’s sister cask 712 won best overall whisky and in 2010 cask 700, a Taiwan exclusive, was the overall winner. There’s no doubt that the early 1970s was a golden age for GlenDronach when it produced some expressions that are absolutely phenomenal.

“And the 1984 BenRiach is a wonderful bottling too. Loaded with peat, with powerful citrus, chocolate and coffee notes, this tawny port finish is spicy and smoky, leading some people to believe it came from a Hebridean island instead of outside Elgin! Only 283 bottles came from this fantastic cask, so thanks to this latest award it’s bound to become a real collector’s item.”